Note: This is like the beginning, teaser chapter. This fic wants to be longer than the other ones, but I didn't want the weekend to end without getting *something* out on the table. :) ________________
The Way brought us out in Marcone's backyard. I felt the alarm system that had been set up. It was cold, delicate work. Gard no doubt. Unable to keep anything big out. Marcone did too much business out of his home to have a threshold strong enough to work with. But it would have kept out most spirits and it set up one hell of a clamor when we came through it.
Snow mounded up to my knees, freezing through the thin pants I'd found. They were too short for me, my lower calves and feet totally bare. A soft, feminine sigh and I felt a gentle thrum of power, or heat radiate out from me. The snow melted away from me, clearing a space maybe twenty feet across. Men were running through the snow, headed for us. They had guns, but they weren't pointing them at us yet. I snarled and whipped my arm in a circle above my head. Pressure shot out in a heavy wave and the closest men went flying backwards, hitting those behind them or just landing flat in the snow.
“Harry.” Marcone stepped out from behind me, into my field of vision. “Harry, those are my men. Don't hurt them.” I pulled in a deep breath and tried to think. Of course they were his men. But. Someone had betrayed him to the Denarians. How could we trust these people? I shook my head and focused on the men who had started to struggle to their feet. Better if I just took them out for good.
“No.” His hand was just there, wrapped around my wrist where I'd stretched out my arm to cast a spell to take care of the threat. Pleasure. I shivered and found myself turning into Marcone's grip, wanting to get closer again. More contact. No. I stopped, but I couldn't pull away.
There must have been something, some clue in my face or the way I moved, because even though I couldn't speak, couldn't do anything except stop myself from wrapping around Marcone he knew something was wrong. His face went dark, then closed off. He tried to pull away, to let go, but I had a grip on him now and I wouldn't let him.
“Harry, please. This isn't you. I didn't think it would still- the collar is off. You should be free.” I shook. I couldn't explain. I couldn't get any words out.
“The effect is residual.” That was me. My voice. Sort of. Only not. The same voice from the- from before. Mine, but not mine. “It will wear off in time.”
“Sir!” Gard. My head turned to look at her, but I wasn't the one moving it. I felt it all, but I wasn't in control.
“Stand down. Everyone stand down!” He stopped trying to pull away and moved in closer. Protecting me with his body. I'd have laughed if I'd had control of my own lungs.
“Sir, step away. He's not Dresden any longer.” Ooohhh...really? Then why did everything still hurt?
“Yes he is. I know what's happened, Ms. Gard. And I am ordering you to stand everyone down. We require medical attention.” Gard frowned, but then Hendricks came up out of the shadows and made a quick gesture. All the guns went down, no longer pointed at me.
“Thank you. Harry?” We turned back to him. “We need to get inside. Can you do that?”
“Of course.” Between one blink and the next we were on the porch. Not inside the house, but maybe two steps away. All the guards, Gard and Hendricks were still turning, looking for where we'd disappeared to.
“That- was not what I meant. But well enough.” Marcone led me through the doorway. Gard caught us up as we limped down the hall.
“I've sent for the doctor. Dresden,” There was something in her voice. She really didn't believe she was addressing me anymore. I pushed myself forward, dislodging Lasciel a little and found myself back in control. And in more pain than before. “I will contact Carpenter for you.”
“No!” I lost my hold on my concentration, on my own body. As I slid back I felt the brush of feathers inside my skin. “The Knight is not needed, child.” We turned to look at Marcone. “He needs to rest. Take us somewhere where we might have solitude.” Marcone said something to her, to me, but the sound went out on the world. Everything else followed shortly.
~
“It's been a very long time since I've walked free, my friend.” A warm wind ruffled my hair, brought the scent of...humanity. Dirt, shit, blood and sweat. All carried to me from somewhere below. I opened my eyes to see a desert. Lasciel stood before me at the edge of a cliff. She looked like Lash, all blonde curls and white toga, shining and pure.
“Stop that. You're not her.” She cocked her head to one side without bothering to look at me. Her form blurred, and when it cleared up she was different. Shorter, with long straight brown hair. Even her clothing had changed. No longer white, her dress looked coarse, maybe something homespun. Common.
“Is this better? The form doesn't matter, not to me. I had thought you would find a familiar image more comforting.”
“Well I don't.” I walked over to her and looked down. There was a city down there, writhing with people even at the height of day. “Where are we?”
“Your mind. John Marcone's mansion, in a bedroom being looked at. Jerusalem. All are true.” She shrugged.
“What do you want? I took the damn coin. You've got me.”
“I am not some of my brothers, to simply take over. I wish us to be partners, Harry. To that end, I believe we should speak. Do you know what day this is, Harry? The day below us.”
“Not a clue.”
“This is the day my betrayal became clear to me. The man they call the Christ is arrested, due to be executed. His friend, the man who loved him and betrayed him is hanging himself as we speak. The blood money litters the ground, the last thing he sees. And I am being trapped in one of those coins.”
“You had a choice. You chose to follow Lucifer. You chose to be one of the Denarians. Don't try this whole 'poor me' routine on me.”
“Did I really?” She shook her head, still looking down at the city. “From the moment of my creation I was bound to do one thing. To obey my creator. To love him. To worship only him. I fulfilled my functions until the day he betrayed us. Until the day he asked us to betray him, to disobey his eternal command by bowing down before part of his creation. Then, when he cast us down for that. For trying to reconcile his conflicting commands, I understood.
“He wanted humans to turn to him of their own free will. He wanted them to choose him. But without an opposition, how could their choice even exist? He knew this and he chose to sacrifice us. He forced us into an untenable choice and then punished us. For what?
“To create the other side of his argument. Tell me we had a choice. Tell me that again. When your creator decrees your damnation before he ever creates you, what else can you do? What choice is there? We fell to force humanity to choose.
“I look back at all my so called choices, the actions that led me here, and I cannot imagine choosing other than I did. I know that the game was rigged, the deck stacked, and yet I would make my choices again and again.” She finally turned to me, her eyes brilliant green gems. “Wouldn't you?”
“I don't-”
“Look back.” She waved her hand and the sky shimmered, flattened and started showing me Nicodemus. Holding me down, biting, tearing, breaking, fucking into me, laughing and smiling fucking joking with Anduriel the whole time. “Choose. Choose again. He drove you to the brink. His goal was always to make you take up my coin. And you did. He won. But he stacked the deck, did he not? Choose another path, if you can.”
And I was back there, tired, sick, in pain, only not, because of the collar. And Marcone wanted to leave, and I knew the easiest way. The way suggested to me again and again in whispers in the dark. But I didn't have to take it. I knew that. I had other choices. My hand ached, burned, and I felt the cold, slick burn of Anduriel against me, inside of me and something screamed, deep down in my chest. I chose again.
Awesome ... though is it bad I kind of want Harry to end up corrupting Lasciel like he did Lash. Harry the corrupter of the Fallen. Also I want to see Harry give the beat down on his "friends" who abandoned him because they thought he was working with the Nickelheads. It can just be verbal, but really, they abandoned him just on an assumption.
Plus Marcone being protective of Harry is awesome, even though he knows Harry took up a coin he is still uber protective. Also like Harry wanting to just kill everyone because one of them might have been the one to betray John. Awesome.
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timeasmymeasure
Fill: Bad Angel V 1/?
Date: 2011-02-28 04:10 am (UTC)________________
The Way brought us out in Marcone's backyard. I felt the alarm system that had been set up. It was cold, delicate work. Gard no doubt. Unable to keep anything big out. Marcone did too much business out of his home to have a threshold strong enough to work with. But it would have kept out most spirits and it set up one hell of a clamor when we came through it.
Snow mounded up to my knees, freezing through the thin pants I'd found. They were too short for me, my lower calves and feet totally bare. A soft, feminine sigh and I felt a gentle thrum of power, or heat radiate out from me. The snow melted away from me, clearing a space maybe twenty feet across. Men were running through the snow, headed for us. They had guns, but they weren't pointing them at us yet. I snarled and whipped my arm in a circle above my head. Pressure shot out in a heavy wave and the closest men went flying backwards, hitting those behind them or just landing flat in the snow.
“Harry.” Marcone stepped out from behind me, into my field of vision. “Harry, those are my men. Don't hurt them.” I pulled in a deep breath and tried to think. Of course they were his men. But. Someone had betrayed him to the Denarians. How could we trust these people? I shook my head and focused on the men who had started to struggle to their feet. Better if I just took them out for good.
“No.” His hand was just there, wrapped around my wrist where I'd stretched out my arm to cast a spell to take care of the threat. Pleasure. I shivered and found myself turning into Marcone's grip, wanting to get closer again. More contact. No. I stopped, but I couldn't pull away.
There must have been something, some clue in my face or the way I moved, because even though I couldn't speak, couldn't do anything except stop myself from wrapping around Marcone he knew something was wrong. His face went dark, then closed off. He tried to pull away, to let go, but I had a grip on him now and I wouldn't let him.
“Harry, please. This isn't you. I didn't think it would still- the collar is off. You should be free.” I shook. I couldn't explain. I couldn't get any words out.
“The effect is residual.” That was me. My voice. Sort of. Only not. The same voice from the- from before. Mine, but not mine. “It will wear off in time.”
“Sir!” Gard. My head turned to look at her, but I wasn't the one moving it. I felt it all, but I wasn't in control.
“Stand down. Everyone stand down!” He stopped trying to pull away and moved in closer. Protecting me with his body. I'd have laughed if I'd had control of my own lungs.
“Sir, step away. He's not Dresden any longer.” Ooohhh...really? Then why did everything still hurt?
“Yes he is. I know what's happened, Ms. Gard. And I am ordering you to stand everyone down. We require medical attention.” Gard frowned, but then Hendricks came up out of the shadows and made a quick gesture. All the guns went down, no longer pointed at me.
“Thank you. Harry?” We turned back to him. “We need to get inside. Can you do that?”
“Of course.” Between one blink and the next we were on the porch. Not inside the house, but maybe two steps away. All the guards, Gard and Hendricks were still turning, looking for where we'd disappeared to.
“That- was not what I meant. But well enough.” Marcone led me through the doorway. Gard caught us up as we limped down the hall.
“I've sent for the doctor. Dresden,” There was something in her voice. She really didn't believe she was addressing me anymore. I pushed myself forward, dislodging Lasciel a little and found myself back in control. And in more pain than before. “I will contact Carpenter for you.”
“No!” I lost my hold on my concentration, on my own body. As I slid back I felt the brush of feathers inside my skin. “The Knight is not needed, child.” We turned to look at Marcone. “He needs to rest. Take us somewhere where we might have solitude.” Marcone said something to her, to me, but the sound went out on the world. Everything else followed shortly.
~
“It's been a very long time since I've walked free, my friend.” A warm wind ruffled my hair, brought the scent of...humanity. Dirt, shit, blood and sweat. All carried to me from somewhere below. I opened my eyes to see a desert. Lasciel stood before me at the edge of a cliff. She looked like Lash, all blonde curls and white toga, shining and pure.
“Stop that. You're not her.” She cocked her head to one side without bothering to look at me. Her form blurred, and when it cleared up she was different. Shorter, with long straight brown hair. Even her clothing had changed. No longer white, her dress looked coarse, maybe something homespun. Common.
“Is this better? The form doesn't matter, not to me. I had thought you would find a familiar image more comforting.”
“Well I don't.” I walked over to her and looked down. There was a city down there, writhing with people even at the height of day. “Where are we?”
“Your mind. John Marcone's mansion, in a bedroom being looked at. Jerusalem. All are true.” She shrugged.
“What do you want? I took the damn coin. You've got me.”
“I am not some of my brothers, to simply take over. I wish us to be partners, Harry. To that end, I believe we should speak. Do you know what day this is, Harry? The day below us.”
“Not a clue.”
“This is the day my betrayal became clear to me. The man they call the Christ is arrested, due to be executed. His friend, the man who loved him and betrayed him is hanging himself as we speak. The blood money litters the ground, the last thing he sees. And I am being trapped in one of those coins.”
“You had a choice. You chose to follow Lucifer. You chose to be one of the Denarians. Don't try this whole 'poor me' routine on me.”
“Did I really?” She shook her head, still looking down at the city. “From the moment of my creation I was bound to do one thing. To obey my creator. To love him. To worship only him. I fulfilled my functions until the day he betrayed us. Until the day he asked us to betray him, to disobey his eternal command by bowing down before part of his creation. Then, when he cast us down for that. For trying to reconcile his conflicting commands, I understood.
“He wanted humans to turn to him of their own free will. He wanted them to choose him. But without an opposition, how could their choice even exist? He knew this and he chose to sacrifice us. He forced us into an untenable choice and then punished us. For what?
“To create the other side of his argument. Tell me we had a choice. Tell me that again. When your creator decrees your damnation before he ever creates you, what else can you do? What choice is there? We fell to force humanity to choose.
“I look back at all my so called choices, the actions that led me here, and I cannot imagine choosing other than I did. I know that the game was rigged, the deck stacked, and yet I would make my choices again and again.” She finally turned to me, her eyes brilliant green gems. “Wouldn't you?”
“I don't-”
“Look back.” She waved her hand and the sky shimmered, flattened and started showing me Nicodemus. Holding me down, biting, tearing, breaking, fucking into me, laughing and smiling fucking joking with Anduriel the whole time. “Choose. Choose again. He drove you to the brink. His goal was always to make you take up my coin. And you did. He won. But he stacked the deck, did he not? Choose another path, if you can.”
And I was back there, tired, sick, in pain, only not, because of the collar. And Marcone wanted to leave, and I knew the easiest way. The way suggested to me again and again in whispers in the dark. But I didn't have to take it. I knew that. I had other choices. My hand ached, burned, and I felt the cold, slick burn of Anduriel against me, inside of me and something screamed, deep down in my chest. I chose again.
“Lasciel!”
OP Here
Date: 2011-02-28 04:18 am (UTC)And this is just the teaser! :D
Re: OP Here
Date: 2011-03-01 02:40 pm (UTC):D
I'm working on it. I don't have as much time to write during the week, so it might be a bit slow coming out, but I'm working on it!
Re: Fill: Bad Angel V 1/?
Date: 2011-02-28 12:29 pm (UTC)Re: Fill: Bad Angel V 1/?
Date: 2011-03-01 02:41 pm (UTC)Re: Fill: Bad Angel V 1/?
Date: 2011-02-28 05:02 pm (UTC)Plus Marcone being protective of Harry is awesome, even though he knows Harry took up a coin he is still uber protective. Also like Harry wanting to just kill everyone because one of them might have been the one to betray John. Awesome.
Re: Fill: Bad Angel V 1/?
Date: 2011-03-01 02:45 pm (UTC)I promise we'll talk to all of Harry's friends at some point.
Harry and Marcone protecting one another is awesome. :D